January 28, 2025
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Florida law enforcement agencies today intercepted more than two dozen Chinese nationals in Coral Gables. The Coral Gables Police Department (CGPD), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and regional law enforcement partners responded after a citizen tip alerted investigators to vehicles suspected of transporting the criminal aliens.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said, “In less than two weeks, we have seen two major criminal alien arrivals in Florida. What we saw today is a perfect example of how the actions of law enforcement are crucial to stopping the human smuggling we so frequently see coming into our state. FDLE and our partners will continue to lead on Governor DeSantis’ initiatives in eradicating these criminal alien threats and stopping these human smugglers.”
Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership and his “Operation Vigilant Sentry” Executive Order, FDLE has been actively coordinating Florida’s law enforcement response to the flow of criminal aliens into our state. This has allowed FDLE to continue to respond to incidents like the interdiction in Coral Gables this morning.
Today’s interdictions come just 11 days after more than 20 criminal aliens were detained in Coral Gables, three of which currently face human smuggling charges. A majority of those detained on Jan. 17 were Chinese nationals.
“For the second time in just over a week, a very alert resident saw suspicious activity which was later determined to be illegal entry into our country. They called the Coral Gables Police and within minutes, our police units arrived in the area and detained 26 Chinese nationals and two men (one Puerto Rican and one Cuban) in two separate vans,” says Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak. “From the first call to the ongoing partnerships with FDLE, HSI and Border Patrol, we are committed to assist in the intervention of these apparent illegal smuggling operations.”
FDLE Miami Special Agent in Charge John Vecchio said, “FDLE Miami and all our FDLE regions work tirelessly to protect Florida’s families from the threats criminal aliens pose to our citizens. FDLE Miami thanks the Coral Gables Police Department and our partners for their collaboration in the recent weeks to quickly put a stop to these human smuggling events.”
